| Sunday, April 09, 2006 |
| Shanghai |
 How we got to Xian and back to Beijing: 12 hours in a deluxe sleeper car, on bunks with linens, hot meals, foldable toothbrushes, clean restrooms, and quiet compartment-mates.
How we got to Shanghai: 16 hours overnight on padded bench seats, 6 to a booth, 20 booths to a car, 30 people standing up in the aisles, 2 sketch toilets, no room to move, 10 men smoking at any given time, and the stuffy air held the heavy scent of cup-ramen, among other things. On the plus side, we got to see how Chinese people usually travel, and most people were funny and friendly to us. Those who didn't have seats were sitting on luggage, or would grab a seat for a few minutes every time someone got up, or else would lean into your booth until they were virtually sleeping in your lap. The floors became littered with newspapers, bottles, food wrappers, peanut shells, cigarette butts, and anything else people had decided belonged on the floor. My inner Shinkansen addict died a small death during this journey.
An hour outside of our destination, a little boy (in typical chaps-for-toddlers gear) and his grandmother got on and stood by our bench. He was cute as a button, and I smiled and played games with him a bit, but wondered how a young diaperless child would know not to relieve himself on a crowded traincar. Adam's analysis: "If he pees on the floor right now, I am going to throw him out the window." No one actually went postal, though I was placing bets on who would be first. (4 letters, starts with A, additional "M" optional.)
 We had 3 days in Shanghai, and spent most of our time in the city wandering around and marveling at shiny things. This is the Bund-- famous for architectural reasons.
 People's square/park area at night, with giant parsley trees sprouting up beside the pavement.
 Shanghai Idol.
 We took a day trip out to West Lake, which is supposed to be the most beautiful (I'd say Top 3...) lake in all of China. We went with a Finnish woman named Ariana that was traveling for 10 months via some scheme that allows you to take a paid leave of absence from your job if your position is filled by an unemployed person. She worked in a hotel, and was 6 months into her tour of Nepal and China. In exchange for allowing a jobless person to work in her place, she received 20 Euros a day from the government, which isn't enough to get by in Finland, but is plenty for many countries in central/SE Asia.
 Adam wearing (gasp!) shorts in April, which drew open stares in every place we went, such as the girl in blue on the left. On two separate occasions, Chinese men walked up to him, babbled something while laughing, and proceeded to touch his manly calves.
 A pool of inner contemplation.
 Someone wise. Though the vacant eyes and glazed smile suggest opium use over wisdom... |
posted by Raychaa @ 5:42 PM  |
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| So wrong it's right. And then wrong. And then wrong again... welcome to the inaka. |
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Name: Raychaa
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About Me: “No man, not even a doctor, ever gives any other definition of what a nurse should be than this - 'devoted and obedient'. This definition would do just as well for a porter. It might even do for a horse. It would not do for a policeman.” (Florence Nightingale)
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